Case Study: a large well drilling service provider drills the deepest HPHT well in Offshore Malaysia with SLB Managed Pressure Drilling

Deepest MPD HPHT Well Drilled Offshore Malaysia with @balance Services

SLB worked with a large well drilling service provider on an offshore Malaysia HPHT well where little to no surrounding-well data was available to model pore pressure and fracture gradient. The operator needed to drill deeper hydrocarbons in weak sands under high-pressure, high-temperature conditions while managing uncertainty, pressure ramps, and the risk of reaching total depth safely.

SLB used its @balance Services MPD solution, including the Dynamic Annular Pressure Control (DAPC) system, to convert the well to a closed-loop automated managed pressure drilling setup and actively control bottomhole pressure. The team performed dynamic flow checks and dynamic formation integrity tests to map the drilling window, identify weak formations, and manage wellbore breathing. As a result, the well drilled deeper than planned to 4,830 m-MDDF, became the deepest HPHT well in Malaysia at the time, penetrated major gas-bearing discoveries, and was reached without uncontrolled influx incidents despite 56 dynamic flow checks.